Photos by Nathan Clendenin
ABOVE: Science teacher Lyn Streck is the heart and soul of the Lower School garden, and the garden is an integral part of the Lower School’s science curriculum.
Shown here with first-graders, Streck helps children explore nature and develop a stewardship of the environment.
Her she y Award Winner Ly n St reck
From the science lab to the Giving Garden, an infectious love of learning BY TERESA ENGEBRETSEN, FRENCH, MIDDLE SCHOOL
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nthusiasm. Encouragement. Wonder. Inspiration. Creativity. Support. Curiosity. Teaching could be summarized with these seven nouns. At Durham Academy, it is what we all strive to bring to our classes, our students, their families and our colleagues. Sometimes we see immediate results, and sometimes the results come in an email or letter years after our day-to-day contact with a person ends. Sometimes we take that enthusiasm for granted because it is what we expect from certain individuals. It is only when we stop to reflect that we realize just how much a person has enriched our lives and the lives of everyone around her. Lyn Streck is just such an individual. Lyn arrived on the Durham Academy campus in 1992 as a kindergarten teacher. She built a highly successful summer school program, Kids Kaleidoscope, with Gail Walker, a former colleague. She spent countless hours watching her three children, Sean ’97, Erika ’98 and Jessica ’01, play sports, all the while helping to run the concession stand and cheering on the entire DA community of athletes. Her daughters remember spending hours in her classroom helping out. They also know that is impossible to go out to breakfast, the mall or a store without running into a DA family whose life has been touched by their mom. She spends time talking to her former students about the unique strengths that make them special. Lyn’s love of learning spills into every aspect of her life. She has been a lively fixture at International Day at the Upper School and at local international festivals due to her love of Polish dance. It is no secret that she enthusiastically embraces her heritage! In 2001, Lyn moved out of her kindergarten world and into the realm of teaching Lower School science. She tackled her new assignment with the enthusiasm and creativity she had shown in the kindergarten classroom. Lyn works tirelessly to coordinate lessons in science lessons with the Spanish curriculum. She supports her colleagues by collaborating and incorporating their curricula into hers, from sea turtles to Antarctica. 34
DURHAM ACADEMY RECORD | SUMMER 2014 | WWW.DA.ORG
A favorite is the lesson titled the Teddy Bear Mystery for her forensic science unit. Picture Lyn in a long white lab coat, hair in two messy pigtails, wearing protective goggles, jumping around trying to get second-graders excited about solving a crime involving the disappearance of a stuffed bear. Makes you want to giggle, doesn’t it? Ecology has always been a focus, and in 2008 Lyn was named Conservation Education Teacher of the Year for her work in the community. She enthusiastically participates in NC Clean Sweep, AdoptA-Stream and Durham’s Water Conservation Poster Contest. Perhaps what Lyn will be remembered best for, however, is the Lower School Giving Garden. She pours her heart and soul into this small plot of land. Its creation is due to Lyn’s tenacity, fundraising efforts and ability to bring together students, parents, grandparents and staff members in a united effort to bring the science curriculum to life and to make our lives more beautiful. She has been called an expert in tapping into parent talent and expertise. The garden has inspired poetry, photography, songs and a sense of wonder and curiosity in all — but most importantly in her students. Lyn cares deeply about what she teaches and, through her passion and well-planned lessons, she makes the science lab and garden places that are welcoming and exciting for her young scientists. She motivates her students to take risks and think creatively with her hands-on lessons where they do and not just watch. Lyn embodies the best of teaching and the true spirit of community. It is wonderful that the Durham Academy community now has the opportunity to let her know how much we respect and appreciate her. It should come as no surprise that Lyn was nominated and selected as the 2014 recipient of the F. Robertson Hershey Distinguished Faculty Award. EDITOR’S NOTE: Teresa Engebretsen was the 2013 recipient of the F. Robertson Hershey Distinguished Faculty Award.